


Here I Go Again

by the_technicolor_whiscash



Category: Smallville
Genre: Clex - Freeform, Confessions of love, Fluff, Kissing, M/M, One Shot, martha’s vineyard, yeah idk what to call this Au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-13
Updated: 2018-06-13
Packaged: 2019-05-21 17:10:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14919471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_technicolor_whiscash/pseuds/the_technicolor_whiscash
Summary: Clark, much to his dismay, is sent to Martha’s Vineyard for the summer to help out his Aunt Mel. And who just so happens to decide to take a vacation there? The one and only Lex Luthor.





	Here I Go Again

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first thing I’ve completed in AGES and it’s not the best but whatever I need to get back to writing more

Clark wasn’t sure how he had gotten roped into it. One minute, his summer plans are sleeping, eating, and slacking off. The next, he’s being shipped off to his aunt’s house, halfway across the country. 

“Martha’s Vineyard? That’s so far away!” Clark protested. 

“I know, sweetheart.” Martha was using her most gentle voice. “But your Aunt Mel could really use the help on her farm. And it’ll only be for two months.” 

“All my friends are here!”

“You can make new friends there.” Jonathan’s answer was not as easy to achieve as he might have expected. 

But Clark, clearly, did not have a say in the matter. In a week, he would be on a plane to Aunt Mel’s farm, working there. To be fair, life was hard on poor old Aunt Mel. She had no children, and her husband recently passed, so she needed more than a little help with the farm labor. And thus, Clark was volunteered. 

Though he understood the reasoning, Clark still wasn’t happy with the decision, and needed to vent. He headed to Lex’s mansion, where he could let out his emotions over a game of pool. 

“Clark. You look happy today.” Lex’s tone was seeped with sarcasm as Clark entered the room. Lex, as always, was dressed in a shirt that cost more than one of the Kent’s tractors, and every aspect of him was ironed and smoothed to perfection. 

“Yeah. Well, apparently, my parents are shipping me to Martha’s Vineyard to the summer to help my aunt on her farm.” Clark made his way over to the pool table, picking up a cue. “My summer will be spent scooping cow patties two thousand miles away.”

“As opposed to scooping cow patties here.”

“All of my friends are here! Chloe, and Lana, and Pete, and you. Everyone I care about is in Smallville.”

A hint of a smile crossed Lex’s face. “So you don’t care about your aunt?”

“Yes. Well, I mean– not like you guys.” After sending a ball flying, Clark pulled a chair over and sat down heavily. “I barely know Aunt Mel. She only visits once every few years for the holidays.”

“You’ll always be able to make new friends there, however temporary.”

Clark sighed. “But I don’t want to make throwaway friends. I’m bad at that kind of thing. I tend to latch on to people.”

A quick laugh came from Lex. “I’d say so.”

“I know, it’s stupid. But I–“ He stood, and began to pace. “I don’t want to go.”

“Have you told your parents that?”

“Yes, and they won’t accept it. I know they’re sending me because Aunt Mel is getting old, and needs help, but it’s so far away! And on an island. I don’t even know what there is to do there.”

“Well,” Lex pondered for a moment, “If memory serves me right, there’s a carousel.”

“Have you been to Martha’s Vineyard?”

“I went a few times as a child. A business trip loosely disguised as a family vacation. It’s not a bad place, but I’m not sure I would want to live there. Seafood’s good, though.”

Lex had never struck Clark as the type to eat the fried seafood widely associated with New England, but then again, Lex was an eternal mystery to Clark. A mystery that Clark didn’t want to part with, even if it was just for a few months. “Anything I should know before going?”

“Watch out for tourists. Since it’s the summer, it’ll be prime tourist season. Keep sunblock on you at all times. And if anyone asks where the location of the tv show _Wings_ is, tell them it’s on Nantucket.”

Sunscreen wasn’t going to be a problem, since Clark never burned. The tourists might. And he had no idea what Wings was. “Alright. I’ll try to keep that in mind. Thanks.”

“Are you going to keep playing? Or are you going to continue pacing until you wear a hole into the floor?”

Clark then realized he was still pacing. He then resumed the game of pool, however halfheartedly. 

——————

Clark sat on the plane a few hours into the ride, hands digging into the arms of the seat. He was not a big fan of flying, or heights in general. It was such an odd fear to have, especially for someone seemingly indestructible. But he just didn’t like it. 

In an attempt to distract himself from his feeling of impending doom, Clark thought back to what he would be leaving behind in Smallville. He really, really wished he were in his Fortress of Solitude right now. Secure and away from the world. Oh, and Lex there with him. 

Damnit. He had been avoiding the subject in his head for ages, but there was no way to avoid it now. Clark had, fairly recently, come to the realization that he had a warm, fuzzy feeling appear in his gut every time Lex laughed, or smiled, or looked at Clark the right way. That fuzzy feeling, combined with some rather risqué dreams that he had had, led to one conclusion and one conclusion only. 

And that conclusion, Clark had been avoiding. Because that conclusion meant that he was very, very into Lex. And, should that conclusion be acknowledged, it would make for some very awkward pool table conversations. 

Maybe it was just some crush that came hand in hand with his fluctuating alien hormones. That could be it. That could be the reason why he imagined himself performing mouth to mouth on Lex with ten times more tongue. Yes, that had to be it. 

Or, maybe he was just in love with his best friend. That was the more logical answer. It explained why, alongside the French kissing, he also wanted to cuddle next to Lex on the couch, and laugh at lame sitcoms together, and gently run his hands along Lex’s silky-smooth head (at least, he imagined that was how it felt). But that answer would undoubtedly lead to heartbreak. 

And Clark didn’t want that. 

——————

Once he reached the Vineyard and was introduced to the farmwork, everything fell into a rhythm. Clark spent a few days getting to know Aunt Mel’s farm, and her myriad of farm animals. But as easy as it was in the beginning, it would soon get much harder. Because it wasn’t just a regular farm. Mel’s farm was a place where kids could come and pick their own strawberries, or pet a pig, or buy ears of corn. And it was tourist season. 

Most of Clark’s work would be in the fields, but occasionally, Mel needed help with the area they advertised to the public. And Lex had been entirely right. Tourists are terrifying. Most are nice, saying please and thank you. But some are bad. Men hocking loogies into the animal pens. Women complaining that their son’s purple spoon was “not a boy’s color.” Children harassing the goats and sheep.

As Clark worked to repair a broken pedal tractor, he heard a voice from behind him that caused his stomach to drop. “Wow, this is a nice place.”

Clark whipped around, and was greeted by the out-of-place-looking form of Lex. “Lex? What are you doing here?”

“Nice to see you too, Clark.” Though the words were slightly spiteful, Lex’s tone was joking. “I decided to revisit the place my parents took me as kids. And I’ve gotta say, it’s quite quaint. Have you seen those gingerbread cottages?”

“Yeah, I live here. I’ve pretty much seen the whole of the island so far.”

“Been to the beach yet?”

“I’ve been working.”

“You should check it out. It’s nice.”

Clark had felt his face slowly turn pinker and pinker as the conversation progressed. “So, uh, how long are you gonna be on the island? Just for the day, or–?”

“Depends. My family still owns a house out here, though I have no doubt it needs repairs. If I like it, I may take a much-needed vacation.” Lex smiled at the thought. “If you don’t mind me being here.”

“Of course I don’t mind.” Clark said. Realizing the speed and enthusiasm of his reply, he continued, “I mean, it is your house. Do what you want.”

“Alright. I’ll get those repairs underway immediately. See you later, Clark.”

And with that, Lex was gone, leaving Clark even more conflicted than he had been before. It was a little weird that Lex had just shown up in Martha’s Vineyard, a place very far from his own home, and decided to stay. Lex must’ve had some kind of ulterior motive, though what it was Clark had no idea. 

He then had to remind himself about how the relationship between the two of them would never work for a myriad of reasons, and that Lex probably didn’t even feel the same. It was simply not meant to be. 

——————

A few days later, Lex reappeared at the farm. Clark, after a certain amount of begging and empty promises, managed to get a few hours time off to actually have some fun on the island. 

“Martha’s Vineyard,” Lex began, halfway through a cone of soft serve ice cream, “has a long history dating back to the Wampanoags. It was well known in the 19th century for its prominence in the whaling industry, and afterwords people began to build summer homes and vacation here. Jaws was filmed here, and in 1977 the island was considering secession from Massachusetts, but you can see that didn’t work.”

“What happened to the Wampanoags?”

“Surprisingly, there’s still a good population here. And for years, there was a large population of deaf and hearing impaired, so almost everyone on the island knew sign language.”

“That’s cool.”

“It is. Nowadays, many of the rich and famous vacation here. However, the cost of living is rather high, so many of the island’s permanent residents are poor.”

“Huh.” Clark paused. “How come you know so much about the island, anyway?”

“Background knowledge.” A smirk appeared on Lex’s face. “And I looked it up on Wikipedia.”

Clark laughed. “I knew it!”

They had reached a kind of a short cliff, and at the bottom there was a small beach. Clark sat on the edge, hanging his legs off. Lex sat beside him, but not before taking his coat off and putting it between him and the ground. 

“You know,” Clark said, “before coming here, I had never seen the ocean before.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. My family can’t exactly afford big, elaborate vacations. I’ve barely left Kansas.”

“Would you like to?”

“What?”

“Leave Kansas. See the world.”

Clark sighed. “Sure I would. But there’s still so much work I have to do, and I would have to save money for ages. You, you’ve got a private jet and more houses than anyone should reasonably have. But I don’t have that.”

Lex’s expression was compassionate. “You’re right. But if you ever get the urge to travel somewhere, give me a call.”

Clark smiled sadly. “Can’t wait to have to explain that to my parents. ‘Sorry dad, I can’t help seed the fields, I’m going to Disney.’”

“You’re still young, Clark. You can have a little fun.”

And that was when Clark realized that their knees were touching. Shit. Maybe this had been a bad idea all along. 

Clark scrambled to his feet. “I just remembered, uh, there’s something I have to do for my Aunt. I’ll see you later.”

Clark ran back to the farm, found a suitable barn, and spent the next few hours pacing back and forth and discussing his problem with an uninterested horse. 

——————

Clark didn’t see Lex for a while after that. It was now a month after Clark had arrived at the Vineyard, and he was getting accustomed to life quite well. He had eaten more fried seafood than anyone should, and spent most of his free time at the beach. The island had its problems, like any place, but it was a very nice place to relax. 

As he sat on the beach, feet in the water, he heard the sound of shoes crunching against the sand. “Clark. If I’m not mistaken, you’ve been avoiding me.”

Clark closed his eyes, feeling the water lap against his feet. “I have been. And I’m sorry about that.”

“If you’d like me to leave, I can.”

That was the exact opposite of what Clark wanted. “No, no. I’m just… still adjusting to living out here. It’s a big change.”

“Change can be good. It can open doors you didn’t even realize were there.” Lex slipped his shoes off and sat down beside him. Even though it was 80 degrees out, Lex was still wearing black suit pants, and the waves soaked him at the cuffs. 

“Who said that, Confucius?” 

“No, I did. Though I’m sure someone older and wiser than I said it long before me.”

“You’re probably right. About the change thing, I mean.” Clark picked up a stone and threw it. It hit the water with a loud plunk. “And you were right about tourists being terrifying. Little kids really don’t know how to act around farm animals. And I’ve had people complain to me about the stupidest things.”

Lex smiled. “That’s why the rich people and celebrities tend to stay away from the tourist areas.”

“It’s a good idea. If only I were rich and famous, and here on an actual vacation.”

“Have you tried the seafood yet?”

“Every day. I’m running out of cash just because of how much of it I’ve been eating.”

“Well, don’t eat too much. You don’t want to ruin that rugged physique of yours.”

Clark knew full well that gouging himself on baskets of fried seafood was not going to cause him to gain any weight. But, he had to at least pretend to be human. “Right, well, I think I’m getting enough exercise here to burn it all off. Yesterday I had to chase after a guy who tried to run off with a baby goat.” That part wasn’t a lie. A person had actually tried to steal a kid. The goat kind, not the human one. 

“Really? Why’d he do that?”

“I have no idea. There’s gotta be an easier way to get a goat.” 

Clark took a moment to examine Lex’s features. For once in his life, the other man seemed relaxed. Content, even. The sun illuminated his face in a way pictures would never be able to grasp. 

Clark briefly considered taking Lex’s hand, and explaining to him exactly how he felt. He wanted to, truly. But there was that nagging part of him, the side of his brain that reminded him that it would very likely end up in disaster. And he didn’t want to ruin what they had. Even if what they had was filled with lies and unanswered questions. 

“Clark? Any reason why you’re staring at me?”

Clark was jolted back into reality. “Uh, sorry. Zoned out for a minute there. I don’t think I’m getting enough sleep.”

“No need to apologize.”

Clark checked his watch. “I should probably be heading back.”

“Me too.” Lex said. However, neither of them made any motion to leave. Lex was noticeably close to Clark, and if Clark decided to lean just a few more inches in–

Clark’s cell phone rang. He picked it up and was greeted by the loud, unhappy voice of his aunt, wondering where he could have been for all that time. After reassuring her that he would return soon, he hung up and, instead of hurrying to return, Clark laid down in the sand. “Damn. I don’t want to go back to work.”

“All I can say is that the sooner you do, the sooner you’ll be off.”

“I’ll be off at the same time regardless. Aunt Mel will just have to wait a few more minutes for me to come back.”

Seeing that Clark was not about to move, Lex laid in the sand beside him. “Well, I don’t have anywhere to be.”

“Ha. I wish.” It was then that Clark noticed once again the close proximity of their hands. Occasionally, he could feel the back of Lex’s hand ghost against his. 

And it was then that Clark decided to take a leap of faith. Hesitantly, with his heart racing, he reached out his pinkie finger and hooked it around Lex’s. It wasn’t quite hand-holding, but the fact that Lex didn’t immediately pull away was reassuring. 

“Your hand is soft.” Whispered Lex. “Nothing at all what I’d expect from the hardworking farmboy.”

“There’s a lot about me you wouldn’t expect.”

Clark felt Lex’s hand move, and he was worried he would be pulling it back, but instead Lex moved so that they were actually, properly holding hands. 

Clark’s brain short-circuited. The logical side of his brain was raising the red flags, telling him to back off. But he decided to lock the logical side of his brain into a chest and chuck it into the ocean. Right here, right now, he was holding hands with Lex, relaxing on a beach, and there was nowhere else he’d rather be. 

But then, his phone rang again. Aunt Mel was pissed, and she sounded ready to drag him back to the farm by his ear. 

“I have to go.” Clark said, sitting up. “Mel’ll kill me if I don’t get back soon.”

“Right. Of course.”

“I guess I’ll see you around.”

“I guess so.” Lex gave a quick squeeze of Clark’s hand before letting go. “Try not to have too much fun.”

“I don’t think that’ll be a problem.”

——————

Unfortunately for Clark, the next week was incredibly busy. He got practically no time off, and the time he did have was spent sleeping and eating. Lex hadn’t called, nor had he showed up at the farm, but given the man’s history of being in the right (or wrong) place at the right time, he would show up somewhere sooner or later. 

After that long and horrible week was over, Mel let Clark take an entire day off to recover from the deluge of tourists. That day, he returned to the beach and found Lex there, skipping stones across the water. 

“I wondered if you’d come back.” Lex said, letting another rock fly. _If_ , not _when_. 

“This week’s been crazy busy. Right now is the only real time off I’ve gotten in ages.” Lex handed Clark a smooth, flat stone. Clark threw it at the water, and watched as it skipped once, twice, three times, before finally being consumed by the ocean. 

“So, Clark,” Lex dropped the stone he had been holding and gave Clark a steely look. “Are we going to talk about what happened last week? Or is that just going to get shuffled to the side, like every other thing that happens between us.”

Clark felt himself turning red. “I– I don’t know. Heat of the moment sort of thing.” He quickly needed to change the subject before his entire heart came spilling out. “Have you had any of the corn from my Aunt’s farm? It’s good corn. We should get you some.”

“Clark.” Suddenly, Lex’s hand was on his arm, and Clark’s heart had caused a magnitude nine earthquake in his chest. “Don’t change the subject. Why did you take my hand last week?”

“Because I– wanted to?” Clark cringed at how dumb that sounded. “You were, you know, right there, and I just kind of decided to take advantage of the proximity. It’s not my fault, you didn’t pull your hand away. You could have stopped it at any time.”

“But I didn’t. And neither did you.” Lex was very, mind-numbingly close to Clark. 

“Lex, there’s something I’ve gotta tell you.”

“Enlighten me.”

“I’m in love with you. I have been, for a while.”

Instead of looking disgusted, or walking away, like Clark thought he might, Lex smiled. “I’m glad to see I’m not the only one.”

“Wh–?” Clark was cut off by Lex’s lips meeting his, and immediately, all thought of intelligent speech left his mind. The only thing he could think about was the here and now, the feeling of Lex’s lips against his, and… oh, that was Lex’s tongue in his mouth. Clark could have kept on kissing forever, but Lex did have to break to breathe. 

“I hope I’m not being too forward.” Lex said, still slightly breathless. 

“No, no. I enjoyed it.” Clark leaned in, so close he could feel Lex’s breath upon his lips. “But I’d like it more if you’d do it again.”

“Gladly.” Lex pressed his lips against Clark’s again, and this time, Clark was ready for it. He wrapped his arms around Lex, until he was almost picking him up, and could feel Lex’s powerful muscles moving underneath the thin fabric of his shirt. Lex, meanwhile, had decided to suck on Clark’s bottom lip, evicting a loud and rather explicit moan. 

Lex pulling back left Clark wanting more. He kissed along Lex’s neck, and though Lex definitely seemed to be enjoying it, he grasped at the front of Clark’s shirt and dragged him to a halt. 

“We probably shouldn’t be doing this on a public beach.” Lex panted. 

“Then where do you suggest we do it?”

Lex lowered his voice to a whisper, and somehow, his whispers made everything seem dirty. “I thought we could go back to my place. If you’re up for it.”

“I’m up for it. I’m definitely up for it.”

“Good. Then let’s go.”

——————

Clark sat on the beach, watching the sun set with Lex beside him, Lex’s head on his shoulder. “You know, I may actually miss this place.”

“So you don’t regret your dreaded trip to the Vineyard?”

“No. Not anymore.” He slipped his hand into Lex’s, who accepted it without hesitation. “It’s going to be rough trying to explain this to people back home.”

“You don’t have to. No one has to know anything about your personal life that you don’t want them to know.”

“Yeah? What about my parents?”

“You don’t have to tell them.”

Clark rolled his eyes. “Yes, I do.”

Lex gave a fake sigh of defeat. “I suppose you’re right. And it’ll give your father an excuse to crucify me on the weathervane.”

“He’ll come around. He’ll have to.”

“Mm. My dad’ll never care what I do or who I date. All that matters is that my reputation gets ruined and he gets all of my shares in the business.”

Clark gave him a compassionate smile. “At least he won’t care that you’re dating a guy.”

“True. I have that going for me.”

“Think we’ll be able to come back here soon?”

“Sure. Here, and anywhere else you want to go. Having a boyfriend with a private jet has its perks.”

Boyfriend. The word sent a spark throughout Clark, even though he had heard Lex say it at least half a dozen times before. It never failed to surprise him that this was actually happening, and he really was here, on a beach, facing a picturesque sunset with his arms around Lex. 

Would this thing actually last? Clark had no idea. As much as he might want it to, they were two different people, both of whom were very stubborn. 

But now wasn’t the time to think of that. Now was a time to focus on the moment, and realize just how perfect everything was in that one, specific moment.

**Author's Note:**

> I don’t actually know if Clark has any aunts or uncles at all so that’s why I made Aunt Mel  
> I imagine her as a loud, 60-something year old woman with a head of long, grey hair and a grizzled demeanor. She cares about Clark to a certain extent, but knows that there’s something weird about him.


End file.
